What to know about gun laws in Georgia after the Apalachee High School shooting

The shooting at Apalachee High School -- which left two students and two teachers dead Wednesday -- has brought renewed attention to Georgia's lax gun laws.

The advocacy group Everytown for Gun Safety ranks Georgia 46th nationally for what they call some of the "weakest gun laws in the country."

Permits and background checks are not required in order to purchase firearms in Georgia, including assault weapons.

Gun owners in Georgia are also not legally required to lock up or otherwise securely store firearms away from children.

Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp has a significant track record of supporting pro-gun legislation. In 2022, he signed a bill into a law that made it legal for gun owners in the state to carry a concealed weapon in public without first obtaining a license.

In April 2021, in response to anti-gun violence nonprofit Giffords Law Center giving Georgia an "F" for its gun laws, Kemp said he was proud of the failing grade.

"I'll wear this 'F' as a badge of honor," Kemp wrote in a post on X. "Our 2nd Amendment is sacred, and I'll never back down from defending Georgians' constitutional rights."

In the wake of Wednesday's shooting, Kemp said he was "heartbroken" by the incident.

"This is a day every parent dreads, and Georgians everywhere will hug their children tighter this evening because of this painful event," he said in a statement. "We continue to work closely with local, state, and federal partners to make any and all resources available to help this community on this incredibly difficult day and in the days to come."

Like in every U.S. state, federal law requires a person in Georgia must be at least 18 years old to purchase a firearm, and to not have ever been convicted of a felony.

The suspect in the Apalachee High School shooting on Wednesday is 14, and therefore could not legally own or purchase a gun.

His father told law enforcement officials he had hunting rifles at home, according to the police report obtained by ABC News, and said his son was "allowed to use them when supervised" but did not "have unfettered access to them."

President Joe Biden put out a statement Wednesday calling for stricter federal gun regulations.

"After decades of inaction, Republicans in Congress must finally say 'enough is enough' and work with Democrats to pass common-sense gun safety legislation," Biden said. "We must ban assault weapons and high-capacity magazines once again, require safe storage of firearms, enact universal background checks, and end immunity for gun manufacturers."

"These measures will not bring those who were tragically killed today back, but it will help prevent more tragic gun violence from ripping more families apart," Biden added.

Wednesday's shooting marked the 218th shooting at a K-12 school this year, according to Nick Wilson, senior director of gun violence prevention at the Center for American Progress.

At least 11,606 people have died from gun violence in the U.S. this year as of Sept. 5, which does not include suicides, an average of nearly 47 deaths per day, according to the Gun Violence Archive.